October 10, 2016

It's been a little quiet around here lately. Just like many of you, when life gets busy, blogging often takes a backseat. I have been posting more often on Facebook and Instagram, so you are always welcome to find me over there, where I am more prolific.

The biggest news in my life has been that registration went so well with my Tuscan retreat, "La Dolce Vita" that I decided to add a second retreat! Can you believe it? Once Jo Packham and all my partners indicated that they were available, I decided to go for it! So, if you're looking for the trip of a lifetime with similar minded women who share a passion for creative living and antiquing, won't you consider joining me in Tuscany next year either May 20-27, 2017 or June 3-10, 2017. Pricing and registration details can be found on the retreat website: www.ladolcevitaforever.com

February 26, 2016

Thank you so much for all the support for my post earlier this week. Anniversaries are always difficult, and it is great to have the encouragement of friends to get me through tough days. Thank you for sharing my burden.

Last week I had the pleasure of having a creative play day with my friend Rochelle and I used our time together to finally make a necklace with one of the treasures I purchased in Italy last summer. Oh, how I love this hand painted pendent. It has a beautiful sterling silver case whose age is told by the broken clasps which keep the glass in place. While you might think that painted brooches or pendents like this are plentiful in Europe, the truth is that I had been hunting in antique stores and markets for four years for a piece like this. I have certainly seen similar ones over the years, but either the price was always much higher than I was willing to pay, or the price was fine, but the focal colors were not ones that I wear very often. There was always something just not right. So, fast forward to my European trip last summer, and I was on the hunt again. To my utter surprise, I found, and bought, not just one, but two pieces at the Milan market - I was SO happy! But, it just goes to show, that sometimes treasures don't come easy.

This is truly an international necklace as most of the bits and pieces were purchased during my travels. The focal point pendent and pearls are from Italy • The moss aqua gemstones and pyrite were from Thailand • I found the smokey quartz, labradorite and amazonite in Istanbul • And the prayer beads, rhinestone disco balls and rondelle spacers are all vintage from the US.

December 17, 2015

One of the things I actively hunt for at the antique markets I visit in Europe are old brooches, pendents, photos or jewelry pieces that I can use as focal pieces in the repurposed jewelry I design. I found this beautiful vintage photo at the Arezzo, Italy antique market in 2013. I was immediately drawn to the soft, blue, purple and grey colors in the image and so bargained until I managed to procure it a good price.

Once I got home, I didn't actually get going on making my necklace until several months later. To make the necklace I combined labradorite and sterling silver links which were sourced during one of my trips to Istanbul, black quartz and some beautiful blue chalcedony beads.

I am not 100% certain if I will be keeping, or selling this beauty. If you are interested in purchasing it, please send me an email using the 'email me' link at the top left of this page, under my photo.

August 01, 2012

Over the past weeks I have slowly been writing a review of our our family trip to Italy in May. Today, I continue sharing our adventure with you:

As I mentioned in my previous post, we added Lucca, which is in the north west of Tuscany, to our itinerary because of its well reviewed old town and large antique market. Here's a blurb about the market from the Summer in Italy website:

"Lucca hosts the region's second biggest antique market. Its strength (shared by many other Tuscan towns) lies in its setting among the town's lovely streets where bread chests, cupboards, bedside tables, armchairs and hundreds of other objects are on display, where even a new object looks like a valuable antique. The market takes place on the third weekend of the month: in addition to furniture, you can find XIX-century linens, vintage postcards, antique china and World War I memorabilia."

We arrived in Lucca on Thursday evening, giving us the full day on Friday to enjoy walking the city streets and walls before the market started Saturday.

We found that while Lucca certainly had a tourist population, it didn't feel like it was overrun (unlike some of the other towns we visited in Tuscany). The town center was a labyrinth with twisted streets and uneven blocks - I found myself turned around so many times. Rick found his bearings quicker than I did, but it was challenging.

On Thursday evening I ate my favorite meal from our entire trip at a restaurant in the city center. I had read some glowing reviews for Da Pasquale online and so I called to make a dinning reservation with them before we left home. The restaurant owner and the chef are proponents of the slow food movement, so we knew we were in for a treat. For my main course I ordered Filetto al aceto balsamico e fragole - A steak with a balsamic reduction garnished with strawberries. It was heavenly - I still dream of it! If you ever stop in Lucca, please eat here, and be prepared for some great food! (Reservations are recommended.)

As we wandered through the streets of Lucca we loved the plethora of churches and cathedrals. There were so many to see and photograph.

Saturday morning I woke up early, excited to attend my first antique market in Italy. The information I found online said that the market started at 8AM. However, this was not our experience. We left our apartment at 8 and walked over to one of the areas where the market was supposed to be set up only to discover that only about half of the vendors were set up. A quarter were still unpacking and the other quarter had not arrived yet. As we watched, several sellers drove their trucks into the set up area to begin getting ready. I felt rather awkward as I didn't know if it was OK for me to begin shopping yet. So for the first hour or so I ended up shopping only at the booths that looked setup and ready as I didn't want anyone who was still unpacking to yell at me ☺.

I was really excited to find the vendor whose booth is in the above photo. She had stacks and stacks of textiles - most is pristine condition. I ended up purchasing about 80 Euros worth of linens from her.

I had wondered how easy it would be to shop at the Italian markets as I don't speak Italian. However, it was actually pretty easy as I speak French and I found the numbers in French and Italian to be very similar. A large number of the vendors spoke English too. My parents, who were shopping separately from Rick and I and are not fluent in French, didn't have any issues communicating with any of the sellers.

Does anyone need buttons?

Rick battles his boredom when I shop at antique markets by snapping away as I shop. While I've got to admit that I would feel awkward if I actively noticed him doing it, he tends to kind of 'shadow' me from a distance and while I know that he's probably snapping away, I am so involved in the hunt for treasures that I don't really pay much attention to what he's doing. And I've got to admit, that I love what he has captured. It's so cool to have the experience documented in photos.

Oh, and in the image above, I bought the book I'm holding. If I recall correctly, I think it was 5 Euros.

These dolls were precious, but expensive.I shared the photo of these clocks before, but I love it and thought it should be nestled in the post about the market.

All in all, I really enjoyed this market. It was not the best priced market I have shopped at in Europe, but it was hardly the worst either (that distinction goes to a market in Madrid). However, by and large, things were priced pretty reasonably. I even found a few things which I thought were under-priced. So that's always fun ☺

Here's a little snapshot of the linens I bought at the booth I showed you earlier in this post. I can't wait to use the rough linen bedspread (which is on the bottom of this stack) in our guest room. I think it will rock!

February 21, 2008

I'm so happy to report that little baby Noah has been released from the hospital and is now back at home. He came home on Tuesday. Understandably his mother in particular is emotionally spent. Between recovering from her c-section, having two others (the the oldest being 4) and Noah's hospital stay, she is pretty worn out. But as a family we're all trying to help and ease the burden for her. I spent a fun mid-morning and afternoon with her and the boys yesterday. Thank you so much to each of you who took a moment to say a little prayer and send well wishes.

I returned home from CHA and my girlfriends weekend Saturday afternoon. All I can say is that if Pam or Amy ever invite you to a party, say yes as quickly as possible. It was magical. We're working on a way to share it with you...hopefully there will be more info on that in the coming days. Without question we missed our bella sister Kim, hopefully you're doing well sweet girl! Shopping with the girls was a dangerous experience...I'm sure that far too much $$ was spent, but our art and home will be beautifully adorned in the coming months (wink). Big thanks to Pam and Suzi who planned a fabulous escape for us. xoxo

Upon returning home Saturday afternoon Rick and I went out for dinner (at a yummy Italian restaurant that was a new discovery for us) before heading to The Ten Tenors concert in Vancouver. It was a belated Birthday gift for Rick (who had his birthday while I was working at CHA) and Valentine's Day gift. If popera is your kind of music, I would highly recommend going to this concert tour. It was very enjoyable.

This week I'm trying to get caught up on emails and contacts made at CHA. I'm beyond excited about an exciting international teaching trip that was approved by Melissa earlier this week that I'll be taking with a Bella friend, and I'm working hard to finalize some other class details so that I can update the class calender on the sidebar. Within the next few weeks I should have events in Vancouver, Phoenix and Boston up with dates and store info. I hope to meet many of you this coming year, and if you are a scrapbook store or have one near you who would like me to come teach, please feel free to email me and we can talk!

As I sign off the picture of the doll head is a recent acquisition from an antique store near me, and the other photo contains treasures that I found antiquing with Melissa in Orange, CA, shopping with the bella girls, and some new stamps that I bought at CHA and am looking forward to using.

December 07, 2007

Sorry for the delay in getting the winner posted from the Winter Cheer Giveaway #2.Yesterday I was anxiously waiting for a friends results from some medical tests, so decided to try and distract myself by going antique shopping in the States. Miraculously although she was never far from my mind, it did help. It's been ages since I've taken a day to hunt for treasures. I've stopped for a few moments the odd time when picking up my mail (there is an antique shop right by my US post office box). But as for spending a whole day? That hasn't happened since before Silver Bella. So yesterday I headed off to my favorite haunts, seeking treasures to add to my collections. By the time I came home I'd bought the following:

I had found 11 silver glass ornaments with just the perfect amount of tarnish on them

the most perfect portrait (approximately 9x6) of 2 sisters taken in 1902 (I paid too much for it, but they looked so lonely and in need of someone to take them home. I felt positive that my studio would be a much happier place for them than the antique mall)

a new doll head (yes, it is an illness, lol!)

Oh, and I found the mother-load...a huge tray of mother of pearl buttons and another one of rhinestone buttons. I left an offer for the dealer with the antique shop and they called me back this morning with a counter offer which I've accepted. It's one of those things where all being said, it's a lot of money to buy them, but it's still a good deal....you know what I mean? It's like buying a house that is valued for 5 million for 1 million. It's still a lot of money, but it's a good deal...I'll show them to you when I bring them home sometime next week.

I got home around 7pm and after hearing no news from my friend spent the rest of the evening incredibly worried (she'd told me the day before that no news meant bad news, and to please give her space)...so hopefully you understand why I didn't post the draw. I had horrible luck trying to fall asleep, last time I looked at the clock it was 4:32 AM and my mind was still worrying. Fast forward to this morning, and Rick wakes me up and tells me that my friend is on the phone. She was all apologetic and told me that she was so worn out the day before that after getting good newsshe'd gone right to bed. (Poor thing, she'd been incredibly worried and not slept much in the preceding days). I was SO relieved. What an answer to prayer. We needed a Christmas miracle, and this certainly filled the bill!

So now to the question that most of you are wondering about...who is the winner of Winter Cheer Giveaway #2?I'll be emailing you shortly sweet girl!

To finish up, here's my holiday music pick for today. It's from the Celtic Woman Christmas television special which is airing several times throughout the holiday season on PBS. I find the choreography a bit too staged, but my-oh-my, those gals can sing. It's a beautiful holiday album. Enjoy!

November 13, 2007

I'm back home from one of my favorite teaching and growing experience of the year. Silver Bella. You may have read posts already from my fellow instructors (Kim,Pam, Rebecca,Charlotte,Jenifer, Aaron & Jenny, and Sassy.) Not to mention the Queen Bella Herself, Teresa McFayden. My wrap up is a day late as we had a huge windstorm here in Vancouver and I was without power for 36 hours. In a way, I was actually secretly happy about the outage, as it gave me the perfect excuse to relax (and take a heavenly nap) Monday afternoon. But back to the important stuff. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank some wonderful people to whom I owe a huge debt of thanks.

First, I want to take a moment to thank Teresa. If you are a regular reader of Teresa's blog, you know that she is witty, clever and creative. You night also glean from her Paper Bella business and Silver Bella art event that she is a mini mogul in her own right. What you might not know from reading her blog is how much she is loved and appreciated by her friends (as Teresa is never one to toot her own horn!). As someone who feels incredibly honored to play a small part in her Bella events, I am always amazed at how gracious and competent she is. I know, without a doubt that Silver Bella is a colossal amount of work. There have been months and months of preparation, planning, conundrums, challenges and even a few tears (not to mention the rooms of her house that had been relegated to storage areas as almost 100 boxes from teachers and vendors needed to be stored before the event!). However, none of that was visible as the weekend got under way. From all outward appearances, it was the easiest thing she's ever done. And that, my friends, takes talent. To have something, so intricate look so effortless, Teresa, my hat's off to you. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. (smooch!)

To my fellow Prima Bellas. I know that when I was explaining this event to one of the 'new' teachers, I shared that the reason I loved this event so much was the tight bond that the teachers build/have together. It is rare in this industry to have such a strong bond between teachers. I can truthfully say, that my life would be much lonelier without the friendships that I have with the other Bellas. Although I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked with a few of you, I was pleased to see that overall the camaraderie that bonded the team together so well last year, was still there again this year.

To all the students, I don't know what else to say, that to simply say Thank you. Thank You from the bottom of my heart. There is something SO special about a Silver Bella student. You are kind, creative and gracious. You play well with others (it made my heart happy to see so many of you sharing supplies and vintage this-and-that with your neighbors!), you share a love of pretty and glittery things, you are CREATIVE (yes, capital letters creative. You seriously continually blew me away with your awesome twists on class projects) and you were kind and lovely with your sweet gifts and feedback. I hope that the Silver Bella weekend was everything you hoped for (and more!). To Heather, a huge pat on the back and 'well done' for all the work you put into organizing an amazing Yahoo group for the Silver Bella students. It enhanced the event so much to have all the swaps, chit-chat and helpful hints that the board offered.

There are oodles of others who played parts, large and small with the success of Silver Bella. Thank you to each of you. If you took either of my classes and want to offer any feedback, or have any questions, I would welcome your email. (there is an email me link just below my photo at the top left of this page.)

In closing, I'll leave you with one of my collages that I sold at Silver Bella. It's titled 'Friends' and the caption says: 'They shared secrets, laughed and drank mint juleps'. Those are the kinds of friends I made this weekend. I trust it's the same for you!

August 17, 2007

Yesterday I met my girlfriend who had received my box with the dress-form and picked it up from her. The box was too big to fit in my car, so I had to unpack it to take the mannequin apart to fit. As I removed it from the box, I noticed that it looked like the neck had ripped a bit, but the form was all wrapped, and I didn't want to unpack it until I got home as it needed to be protected in my trunk. Well, after spending an hour or two in the local antique stores(I'll share my treasures from that shopping trip next week!), I headed home. Once I started to unwrap it, I began to realize just how much damage had been sustained in transit. Almost the whole neck/shoulder area has ripped out....not even the seams letting go...the fabric is ripped/torn and I don't see how it can be repaired. (The tears in the bust were there when I bought it, I figured I could darn them and was fine with that amount of flaws, but there was nothing what so ever wrong with the neck). I've called the shipping company, but I'm getting the severe run-around and I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not going to see them pony up the money even though I paid for insurance on the box. My theory? The box itself was in pristine condition, so it wasn't crushed or anything. I think that it wasn't kept upright, and had been laid on its side, upside down and every which way which made the bodice section keep sliding on the center pole. Then, each time it was placed correctly, it would slide back to the correct position, jerking to a stop....sigh. My first time buying an antique that was large enough that I had to ship it and it's wrecked. My mom, trying to bring some levity into the situation (bless her heart), joked that obviously I was not meant to have a Christmas gift last year (2006). Rick had bought me a charm bracelet from Sally Jean's trunk show, but Sally moved homes and the bracelet was lost. Then he said he would buy me a dress form, and when I finally found one that was in my price range, it gets wrecked in shipping....I guess I was a bad girl last year, lol! I'll keep you appraised as to how things work out with the shipping company, but I'm not holding my breath.

No doubt that within a few hours I will no longer be thinking about my dress form as Rick, myself and my folks are heading to the Josh Groban concert in Vancouver tonight. Really excited about it. I love Josh's voice, so it will be a treat. I believe that this concert is to promote his last album which I liked, but didn't love, so I really hope he showcases a lot of his older material too ;-)

Tomorrow morning Rick and I head to Portland for a show with our rep group. We went last year and had a blast. Loved meeting so many store owners and showing Rick a peek into my job. We'll also hit my two favorite Portland antique stores, go to Rick's favorite restaurant and meet some friends for dinner. Yummy!

For those ladies who took my local class on Wednesday and who've popped by to visit my blog, thanks for coming to class, it was fun, and welcome to my blog!

In honor of tonight's concert, I leave you with one of my favorite Josh Groban songs from his new album!